Nori-maki (laver roll) is one kind of maki-zushi (rolled sushi, nori wrapped sushi with core material) (zushi and sushi mean the same although pronounced differently due colloquial expression), and to make nori-maki, a gu (ingredients, core material) is placed on a bed of shari (sushi rice), which is then rolled up in toasted nori (laver). Lots of things can be used in nori-maki. To say almost any food is only a slight exaggeration. Making this sushi is a good way to creatively use such varied ingredients as shiitake (mushrooms) and pickled plums. Another kind of nori-maki is kampyo-maki, which is made with dried gourd strips. A still another kind of nori-maki is tekka-maki, containing red tuna flesh. A yet still another kind of nori-maki is kappa-maki with the green core, made with sliced cucumber. These three kinds are typical nori-maki. Sushi made by rolling certain ingredients in nori (laver) with the aid of a small bamboo mat (makisu) and then, cutting the rolls into slices is a great favorite in Japan. It is most enjoyable if eaten right after making, while the nori is still crisp, but if eaten later the same day it's still good. It is often found in lunch boxes or sold as a take-out at sushi counters in department and other stores. The two types are thin rolls (hoso-maki) and thick rolls (futo-maki).
As mentioned above, depending on the material used for the core, thin rolls are of three kinds; tekka-maki, made with tuna; kappa-maki, made with cucumber; and kampyo-maki, made with dried strips of bottle calabash.
In the argot of the Japanese underworld a tekka-ba is a gambling den. The denizens of these establishments didn't like to get their fingers sticky when eating. But, like anybody else, they did get hungry. When they did, they ordered large quantities of rolled tuna sushi to be brought from the nearest sushi shop. In time this type of sushi came to be known as tekka-maki, but needless to say its popularity is by no means restricted to gamblers.
The story behind kappa-maki is that these cucumber rolls were named in honor of the mischievous kappa (water sprite), who is said to be inordinately fond of this food.
These two thin rolls are made in the same way.
1. Half a sheet of toasted nori is spreaded on a bamboo rolling mat (makisu) with about 1 cm (3/8 in.) projecting beyond the nearer edge. In the middle of the nori arrange a band of shari (sushi rice) (about 70 gr.) from left to right. Leave the nori open (about 1 cm on either side of the shari and the center of the band of shari. In this groove lay strips of raw tuna for tekka-maki. Distribute the fish or cucumber evenly and spread wasabi (Japanese horse-radish) on top. PA1 2. Starting at the edge closer to you, use the mat to roll up the sushi. After rolling, make the shape in cross section squarish by pressing the top with your fingers before removing the mat. PA1 3. Take the roll out of the mat, cut the roll in half, then cut each of the halves into 3 equal pieces. Seen in cross section, the shari should be evenly distributed around the core. Kampyo-maki, dried calabash strip rolls is made by a method similar to the above-noted tekka-maki or kappa-maki.
This invention relates to a method of making maki-zushi and to an apparatus for making maki-zushi. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of making maki-zushi comprising a preparation process of disposing a sheet in a sheet frame, disposing the shari and any one of gu (ingredients such as raw tuna flesh in case of tekka-maki) thereon; rolling up process of rotating a shaft and reversing part of the sheet and rolling in the shari, nori, tuna into a cylinder by the part of the sheet; a pressure molding process of molding the maki-zushi roll into a squarish shape; and a feeding process of carrying the maki-zushi roll into a packing process; and to an apparatus for making maki-zushi comprising a rolling in and rolling up mechanism of maki-zushi and a molding mechanism of pressure molding the maki-zushi roll. The making of the maki-zushi by this type of manual work had a limit in mass production, and in order to make large quantities of the maki-zushi, a large number of manpower was needed which was a drawback.